This time, though, with supple direction and a character of exceptional variety, Ms. Rooney is impressive in her range, and commendable for her subtlety, whether Emily is struggling to find her emotional core or, having found it, is coping with the unintended consequences of her cure.

WSJ: Pleasure Pill | Side Effects | Identity Thief | Lore | Film Reviews by Joe Morgenstern

Though the film is divided into separate sections, the stories are interwoven both in the direction, with a character from one story walking through another's scene, and in the editing, in montage cuts that juxtapose different narrative threads.

ECONOMIST: Mexican cinema

But competence is worthless without direction and, frankly, character.

ECONOMIST: The presidency